Malinda Lo
Blog
Jun 7, 2010
Avoiding LGBTQ Stereotypes in YA Fiction, Part 1: Major LGBTQ Stereotypes
A few months ago, I gave a talk at a local SCBWI chapter about LGBTQ1 stereotypes and how to avoid them when writing YA fiction. I’ve been meaning to post that talk here on my website for some time, but deadlines and travel got the best of me. Now it’s June, which is also Pride month, so I thought this was a great time to finally do this.
I’m going to divide my talk into five blog posts, with one posted every day this week. Here’s the schedule:
Part 1: Major LGBTQ stereotypes
Part 2: Gender
Part 3: Words to watch out for
Part 4: Secondary characters and gay jokes
Part 5: Resources
A few notes before I begin:
- The acronym LGBTQ is fairly long and unwieldy. Sometimes I use the term “queer” as shorthand. Some people are not comfortable with the term “queer” because it sounds like an epithet. However, many people in the LGBTQ community (including me) have taken back the word because it operates as an inclusive, umbrella-like term. “Queer” encompasses all letters in LGBTQ (a bisexual person may also identify as queer), whereas terms such as “gay” are increasingly used to describe men only.
- The term “homosexual” tends to carry a homophobic taint, so I normally don’t use it to describe the LGBTQ community.
- These posts are for primarily for heterosexual (straight) writers who are interested in writing LGBTQ characters in YA fiction (although this info can also apply to adult fiction). If you’re an LGBTQ person, you’re probably already familiar with much of what I’m going to blog about. So I especially encourage you to participate in whatever dialogue emerges in the comments, and to share your perspective.
On to part 1 …
Major LGBTQ Stereotypes
In order to avoid accidentally inserting LGBTQ stereotypes in your writing, it’s important to first know what stereotypes are out there. Here are some of the major ones:
The effeminate gay man
"His Brother Love" by Russ Trainer (Satan Press, 1965)
For many gay people, the flaming queen is a mixed blessing. I’m not denying that flamboyant, feminine gay guys do exist. In fact, one could argue that they paved the way for many gay folks to come out of the closet, because they haven’t been able to hide their sexual orientation. It takes a ton of courage to be out as a flamboyant gay man in our culture.
But in many representations of gay men, being effeminate is dismissed as a joke — as something to laugh at, as entertainment. Being labeled as effeminate can also result in physical assault, verbal abuse, and murder.
Keep this in mind if you’re writing about a character who is a feminine boy: Understand that living in the world is a more dangerous place for him because he presents as feminine. And if you describe a gay character in feminine terms, ask yourself: Why have you chosen this kind of representation? How does that change him? It’s not just about acting like a diva and being a girl’s best friend.
The mannish lesbian
Similarly, butch women have also been on the front lines of gay representation, because this is what mainstream society tends to recognize as lesbian.
"The Damned One" by Guy des Cars (Pyramid, 1956)
But unlike stereotypes of feminine gay men, I think that the masculine woman is rarely seen as something fun or entertaining. Mainstream society often condemns her as unnatural, or as a threatening figure.
It also takes a lot of courage to walk in the world as a butch lesbian. To endure taunts and about your lack of femininity; to battle for your right to wear what you want. In the worst cases, those taunts can result in violence.
From day 1, it seems, our culture encourages little girls to love the color pink and to want to be princesses. If you don’t want to do that, you challenge a deeply held belief about what a girl is. So if you’re writing about a lesbian who is masculine or butch, keep this in mind: Being butch doesn’t mean that you want to be a man. It’s a different way of being a woman.
The promiscuous or deceptive bisexual
"A Choice of Sexes" by Carol Caine (Midwood, 1968)
The stereotype of the bisexual as promiscuous or deceptive is probably less prevalent in YA than in adult fiction, film, or television, largely because this stereotype involves sex. But keep it in mind if you’re writing a character who is bi.
Often, people mistakenly believe that bisexuals have many sexual partners, or that they change sexual partners frequently. Alternatively, they may believe that bisexuals are being deceptive about their sexual orientation in order to trick someone. Even gay people can have the mistaken belief that bisexuals aren’t really bi; they’re just confused about whether they’re gay or straight.
But that’s not true. There is no evidence that bisexuals are any more promiscuous than anyone else. The word “bisexual” does not mean that a person is equally and continuously attracted to people of both sexes. It means that a person could potentially be attracted to people of both sexes. It may be true that all of us are, to some degree, bisexual.
Transgender stereotypes
I’ll be the first to say that I’m not an expert on transgender issues, but I do know that there are probably more stereotypes and mistaken beliefs in the media about trans folk than there are realistic representations.
"Glen or Glenda?" (Screen Classics Inc., 1953)
So if you’re going to write about a trans character, you need to do your research inside and out. There are so few novels about trans people that your story will make an impact whether you like it or not. Be honest with yourself about your own beliefs about transgender people, and be open to learning that your beliefs are outdated and wrong.
Transgender people2 are often described in sensationalist tones: as freaks, as confused, as monsters. Violence against transgender people is a major problem.
Another common (and incorrect) belief is that a feminine gay male or a masculine lesbian is actually transgender and they haven’t figured it out yet. But being trans is different than sexual orientation. When someone transitions from male to female or from female to male, they are changing their gender — not necessarily their sexual orientation.
Common storytelling motifs in YA
There are plenty of other stereotypes prevalent in television and film, but they’re less relevant to young adult fiction. In YA, there are a few stories about LGBTQ teens that recur with enough frequency that they verge on cliché.
- The gay boy football player or the lesbian cheerleader
- The coming-out story as a painful yet ultimately uplifting story of self-discovery
Although these storytelling motifs do appear with some regularly (especially the coming-out story, which essentially reduces a complex experience to an issue novel), I’m not entirely convinced that they’re played out. I think that there is still some use in subverting popular perceptions of lesbians and gay boys by casting them in traditionally hyper-heterosexual roles.
I’ve personally read plenty of coming-out stories and don’t feel the need to read more, but at the same time, coming out is still a major experience for LGBTQ kids. I think these kinds of stories can still be extremely meaningful for them and are still needed.
* * *
Do you have any questions about stereotypes? Are there any you’ve encountered that I haven’t listed? Please note: Comments will be moderated, and homophobia is not tolerated on my website.
- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer [↩]
- The term “transgender” is an umbrella term for people whose gender identity is different than the one they were born with. “Transsexual” is an older term that carries medical connotations, and some transgender people do not identify as transsexual. The identities of trans folk are, by definition, in the process of change, so you should ask a trans person how they wish to be identified. [↩]
At first I used to find identifying as bisexual as problematic, but then I read a different definition of what being bisexual could mean. They suggested that instead of it meaning that one is attracted to male and female people or men and women, that it might mean that one is attracted to the masculinity and/or femininity present in a person. This made a lot of sense to me and I think it definitely twists the gender binary in some ways.
Glad you enjoyed ASH!
I want to start by saying: Malinda, I think you are a miracle worker. When I heard that there was a realistic, lesbian retold fairy tale on the *mainstream YA* market, I thought I would die. Now that I’ve read through your blog, I think you are doing very necessary and powerful work. Thank you so much.
I was really excited to read this blog. Hideous stereotypes exist outside as well as inside of the GLBT community, particularly when it comes to bisexuals and genderqueers. I’ve had the privilege of writing for a brand of books, comics, games, etc. with a powerful and diverse group of writers who love to spin stereotypes. In my first comic series, I featured a mixed race straight couple with an adopted child, a mixed race, committed lesbian couple (where one of the women would probably identify as asexual more than lesbian), heavy weapons specialists who wear prada, androgynous and soft butch mothers, devoted single fathers, gay people who are also very Christian, girls who fight, and, though many of my characters are strong women, there is no emasculation of men and more. It’s great fun and, I’ve found, realistic. People are never cookie-cutter.
On the subject of coming out stories, I agree that the market has been saturated with them, but I do think they are still necessary, particularly if addressing current-day issues realistically. While acceptance of the queer community is on a rise, opposition to it is getting deeper in some areas. As a woman who came out in a very conservative Christian household, it was extremely hard to not only accept my own sexuality, but try to face down what my sexuality meant in regards to my religion and sense of faith. I spent years leading a complete double life (which is so damning and exhausting on the soul) and, once reconciled and proud, I had to face nearly everyone I knew and grew up with telling me about hell and sin and every ugly anti-gay argument imaginable. Kids in this situation (or who come from any anti-gay background, whether religiously or culturally or personally) need to know that 1.) They’re not freaks. Nor are they alone, 2.) The importance of being true to themselves and finding no shame in being who they are, and 3.) They *can* lead good, happy lives despite everything they’re told about being gay. This helps the panic many go through when their world starts changing and they’re not only worried about the life they live now, but their eternity as well. There are so many terrifying practices on the rise right now, from “therapists” making thousands of dollars offering medication and counseling to “cure” kids of their gayness to people actually performing exorcisms on teenagers. The biggest thing about writing such stories is that they have to be realistic and fleshed out. There are so many other fears and worries that go through someone’s mind when coming out than just “how do I deal with being attracted to the same sex.”
Hmm. Seems I have written an essay. Forgive my wordiness.
Thanks for your comment, Launa, and for sharing some of your experience, too.
Malinda, thank you so much for writing Ash! I am currantly writing my own novel about a bisexual girl in her middle school years. At first I was afraid to write it, but after I read Ash, I decided to start writing it after all! Thank you so much for inspiring me
Thanks for your comment! Good luck with your own novel — you can do it!
I remember when I first received this email months ago I was very uncomfortable with the idea of ‘avoiding’ stereotypes in writing. Over the years, I have had straight people tell me that I don’t come across as gay, as if that’s supposed to be some kind of compliment. (In actual fact I would only pass as straight with the obtuse or highly sheltered.) I decided to respond on this blog after all this time because of my recent experience watching hundreds of ‘It Gets Better’ Youtube clips. A great number of testimonials are by people who would be easily identified as gay out of this context. How many of us, even without the added clues of haircuts and ways of dressing are spottable because of qualities of voice, ways of speaking, and mannerisms? And while there are gay people in all walks of life, listening to these hundreds of clips does reinforce that many of us have interests and careers that have often been associated with sexual orientation. So, while I treasure every well-written book that portrays queer people against type, I embrace those that flame on every page as well. I had the wonderful experience of teaching Brent Hartinger’s GEOGRAPHY CLUB to my high school class last year: it’s a literary gem that gave me a safe way to open discussion about a whole variety of issues because the main character could indeed ‘pass’. But for the thousands upon thousands of queer kids who could never identify with that main character, I am relieved to know books like Joe Babcock’s THE TRAGEDY OF MISS GENEVA FLOWERS are also out there, capitalizing on one stereotype after another. In short, the issue has nothing to do with whether or not a character fits a stereotype: there are good books which lead us successfully through a thoughtful exploration of characters and experiences, and there are not-so-good books which don’t succeed. Writers need courage and craft, not burdens about whether their characters are politically correct or not.
Sebastian, it seems that you may have misunderstood the point of these blog posts. I was certainly not saying that no gay people exist who might have some stereotypically “gay” qualities. I think we’re talking about two different things here.
As I noted at the beginning of the first post in this series, these posts are primarily meant for straight writers who are interested in writing LGBTQ characters. I should add that they are also meant for those who don’t have much prior knowledge of LGBTQ people. My purpose in listing out these stereotypes is to simply provide a safe place to talk about them. I’ve met a number of writers who don’t even know where to begin when it comes to thinking about stereotypes.
Obviously not every gay person “passes” — and those who do “pass” have to deal with other, complex issues. My goal here is to do my part to educate writers, so that when they write an LGBTQ character, they understand that gay people are more than a simple (and often misunderstood) stereotype.
And, you know, I made an It Gets Better video, too. I’m a lifelong fan of “mannish women.”
Malinda,
Thanks for this whole series, which I found thanks to Julie Peters’ recommendation. It’s very helpful! I appreciate all the leads in the Resources post as well.
Malinda,
I’ve always seen queer lit as full of stereotypes and oversimplifications. I just have to tell you how much I love the complexity- and the humaness in the literature you have created. I always wondered how- when it’s my turn- I will do that, make it queerness ok naturally in a book. You’ve done a very, very, very good job.
Thank you for doing what you are doing- as a woman, in love with a woman, raising a daughter, expecting twin girls- I think books like Ash will create a warmer society for our family to live in. Can you imagine a world where anything is a possibility? When you don’t have to “come out” because well it doesn’t matter if it’s a man or woman? Books like Ash set the stage for that. Thank you, again.